It may be called The Mediterranean Bar and Restaurant, but one would be forgiven for thinking its an Italian restaurant for the wide selection of pasta and pizza dishes it serves.

Add to the fact that its executive chef, Nikolay Rocco, is a genuine Northern Italian who talks food as passionately as Sabahans talk politics, and you know you’re in good hands, no matter what the cuisine is.

Focusing more on northern mediterranean cuisine, Mediterranean Bar and Restaurant serve food from Italy, Greece and Spain, where olive oil is prominent in the cooking.

Rocco recently added 24 new dishes to Mediterranean Bar and Restaurant, bringing the total menu items to 68, divided into appetisers, salads and soups, pastas and pizzas, seafood and main dishes.

Generous portions of beef tenderloins, more than 220g, is one of its most popular dishes as well as the gratinated scallops and any kind of seafood, which are always popular with tourists.

The new menu offerings promise to be tantalising, fresh and always good value for money. To start with, the Insalata di Mare, or Salad of the Sea, is a big portion brimming with scallops, squid and other delectable seafood that can be shared among two or three.

For seafood and cheese lovers, there is the mussels mornay, a bed of five local mussels, drenched in parmesan, mozarella and cheddar cheese.

If you prefer a soup, the Amalfitana, a rich tomato-based seafood soup is a healthy option.

Speaking of healthy, dishes for the waistline conscious include one of the highlights in the new menu; the sole fish livornese; sole fish fillets cooked in tomato-based sauce with a generous portion of vegetables.

Also highly recommended is the red snapper ravioli. Made with homemade pasta and covered with a light cream sauce.

The jumbo skewer, another new item on the menu, is chunks of seasoned meat interspersed with peppers and onion, all with an idividually grilled taste. Fresh salad and roasted potatoes accompanies the skewer.

Other new items on the menu is stewed beef tenderloin, marinated in red wine, and served with red cabbage and mashed potatoes. For dessert, the warm chocolate cake, crusty on the outside, goo-ey on the inside, is a good choice.

The restaurant itself is simply furnished. The open kitchen in the middle takes up most of the room on the inside of the restaurant but the high ceilings and glass walls makes it look spacious.

The bar along the front is a nice addition, but most prefer to enjoy their dinner al fresco on the restaurant’s terrace, where creepers and lots of foliage surrounding the dining tables create an exotic ambience in contrast to the cool concrete inside.

Whether you’re looking to have a romantic meal, a venue for your next class reunion, or just a quiet family dinner, hit the spot in the all the right places at Mediterranean Bar and Restaurant.

Spice Garden is the Indian restaurant at food & entertainment hub, D Junction in KK, specialising in north Indian cuisine.

Spice Garden caters to all palates, including sensitive ones, with a choice for their north Indian cuisine of spicy, mild and non spicy.

For starters, and to get the digestive juices flowing, a serving of crispy snacks called papadam are served together with a trio of acha, mint and mango chutney.

Highlights from the menu include the Vegetable Pakora, a serving of batter fried vegetables, consisting of most notably green chilis.

For the strong of tongue, the green chilis present a taste sensation and sets the palate alight in anticipation of the what’s to come.

For a healthy dose of veggies, the Aloo Matar is well advised. Cauliflower and potatoes cooked with a generous helping of spices, perfect to enjoy with rice or naan bread.

For something meaty, the Mutton Rogan Josh complements the selection. A flavoursome curry, which although alive with spices is not too hot.

A generous menu of common and lesser known naan bread is an adventure on it’s own. The old favourite garlic butter naan is a winner at Spice Garden, baked to golden perfection with just the right amount of garlic.

The masala naan, filled with curry potato and a hint chili, is one of the creative and more filling naan breads on the menu.

A range of deserts are available at Spice Garden at D Junction, as is a selection of usual and unusual drinks for the beverage menu.

The Indian masala tea, for instance, is a somewhat strange, but very palatable combination of spices and milky tea.

Prices are very reasonable at D Junction’s Spice Garden and a meal for two for around RM50 is nothing unusual.

For an virtual taste safari through the northern parts of India, have a spicy (or not so spicy) dinner at D Junction and Spice Garden.

D Junction is a food & entertainment outlet at the junction of Jalan Lintas and Jalan Penampang, which offers quality choices in one convenient location.

Although a little off Kota Kinabalu’s tourist track, a 15 minute taxi ride from the city centre will bring you to D Junction where food and entertainment options await.

You can start off your evening with a message treatment at Thai Odyssey, one of the most reasonably priced Thai Massage centres in KK. Pamper yourself with a half body massage, a traditional foot massage, an authentic traditional Thai Massage or an aromatherapy massage. For aching muscles, they even have a sport massage.

Multiple Choice for Dinner

Authentic North Indian cuisine awaits you at Spice Garden on the first floor. Featuring spicy cuisine for the culinary adventurer, or a choice of mild or non-spicy for those more cautious. The range of standard and speciality naan bread is a must-try.

Next door in a tranquil setting decorated with dark wood furniture and bamboo, lies D Junction’s Japanese Restaurant Umai. Delectable Japanese cuisine in an intimate setting.

Royal China, D Junction’s famous Chinese Restaurant. Located on the 2nd floor Royal China is popular for its selection of well-priced dim sum and other delectable Chinese cuisine.

Fun & Entertainment

D Junction is a great venue for a party and boogie with a choice of either KTV, or Karaoke TV, for singing the night away and impressing (or depressing), your friends.

Alternatively, you can dance to the music or have a drink or two at D Junction Fun Pub, both on the lower level of the D Junction complex.

Hana Japanese Restaurant enjoys a popularity, which was quite unexpected for when it was so new. Even now that it’s no longer the only Japanese Restaurant at City Mall, there’s always a crowd at Hana Japanese Restaurant.

But like other popular restaurants in Borneo, Hana Japanese Restaurant has found success in the combination of good service and good food, attracting customers in droves.

Hana Japanese Restaurant is situated on the right side of City Mall, opposite Old Town White Coffee and near Big Apple Donuts. Having recently added an outside seating area, the inside area consists of several inlets and areas providing a level of privacy to diners.

In the front of the shop the sushi train displays a selection of delicacies, which can either be picked from the train perpetually looping the sushi counter, or ordered.

Using a system of the usual colour-coded plates, dishes range in price from RM2 to RM10.

The menu of Hana Japanese Restaurant features creative Japanese dishes not seen elsewhere in KK’s growing number of Japanese restaurants.

The usual set dishes with either fish, beef or chicken as the main, is interspersed with creative dishes like deep fried tofu, chicken skewers, squid sticks and the must-try sushi pizza.

The sushi pizza is salmon on a deep fried rice bed, and if you don’t love it the first time, you certainly will like it. The menu is peppered with an irresistible collection of small dishes that begs to be tried.

What is noticeable from the moment you try to open the door before a light-footed staff member does it for you, is that Hana Japanese Restaurant’s staff are very attentive. Plates are cleared virtually the moment they become empty and green teas are replenished moments after your last sip.

Prices on the menu at Hana Japanese Restaurant are reasonable, and vary from RM6 for some of the individual dishes, up to RM20 for set meals and more for some of the premium meat dishes. It’s easy to push up your own bill, because the food is delicious and inviting, making self control hard.

When you have a craving for not just traditional Japanese food, but Japanese food with an edge, then you’ll find satisfaction at Kota Kinabalu’s City Mall by visiting Hana Japanese Restaurant.

Transferring to Kinabalu Park, the start of the climb to Laban Rata and the peak of Mt Kinabalu, Mesilau Nature Resort and Poring Hot Spring just gained an additional option.

Updated not too long ago, Sutera Sanctuary Lodges released, via their website, an improved schedule for shuttle transfers to the Sutera Sanctuary Lodges properties located at the foot of Mt Kinabalu.

Previously, with a late start of 9am from Kota Kinabalu, it wasn’t possible to use Sutera Sanctuary Lodges transport for a day trip, or even just as a transfer for climbing the mountain, because the bus would only arrive at Mt Kinabalu at 11am, making it a very late start for the climb.

However, the new departure time from Kota Kinabalu is 7am, making it not only possible to do a day trip using Sutera Sanctuary Lodges shuttle bus, but also to make a timely transfer for climbing the mountain.

This is good news for those wanting to visit Kinabalu Park, Mesilau Nature Resort or Poring Hot Spring, because now an inexpensive, comfortable return journey is possible without having to over-night. For those who are climbing Mt Kinabalu, it also means that an early start is possible with pickups from Sutera Harbour Resort and the SSL offices in Wisma Merdeka in the city centre.

The shuttle returns again from Kinabalu Park HQ at 15:30 and arrives back in KK at the decent time of 17:30.

A single journey from Kota Kinabalu to Kinabalu Park at the foot of Mt Kinabalu will cost RM40 per person, RM20 from Kinabalu Park HQ to Poring Hot Spring in Ranau, and RM20 from Kinabalu Park to Mesilau Nature Resort. The Sutera Sanctuary Lodges shuttle is a comfortable and new medium sized tour bus, ensuring air-conditioned comfort with great views on the spectacular journey into the interior.

Transfers to Kinabalu Park with Sutera Sanctuary Lodges’ shuttle bus service is available to those with bookings made directly with Sutera Sanctuary Lodges.

For a full schedule and terms and conditions, please refer to the Shuttle Bus page on Sutera Sanctuary Lodges’ web site.